The heavens set sail from the courtyard

Wang Gang was called to Yao Guofa's office, and many people noticed that Yao Guofa's expression was not good, which made them worry about Liu Hongchang.

Liu Hongchang was well-liked in the kitchen of the second canteen, but his relationship with the director, Yao Guofa, was not good.

Because Liu Hongchang had a bad temper and didn't give Yao Guofa much face, he embarrassed Yao Guofa in public on more than one occasion.

If the second canteen hadn't been a state-owned enterprise, and if Liu Hongchang hadn't been skilled at making braised pork intestines, he probably would have been kicked out of the canteen by Yao Guofa long ago.

Speaking of which, Yao Guofa and Liu Hongchang are from the same school and can be considered fellow apprentices. Yao Guofa used to be a head chef in the kitchen. Because of his business acumen and flattery, he gained the appreciation of his superiors and was put in charge of the canteen management.

Liu Hongchang had always looked down on Yao Guofa for "not doing his proper job," thinking that it was shameful for him to give up being a good cook and instead go and flatter the leaders.

Therefore, the relationship between the fellow disciples was only so-so, but it wasn't to a very bad extent.

In Wang Gang's opinion, Yao Guofa was on the right track, while Liu Hongchang was out of touch with reality.

In this day and age, what future can you have as a cook in a cafeteria, even if you reach the top level?

On the contrary, Yao Guofa was good at management and broke through the limitations by jumping out of the kitchen. If he had met a leader who appreciated him, he might have even jumped out of the second canteen.

However, judging from the later plot of the TV series, Yao Guofa's abilities were just so-so; being the canteen manager was already his limit!
"Director Yao, you wanted to see me about something?" Wang Gang said to Yao Guofa as he entered the office.

"I've heard about what happened in your family," Yao Guofa said sternly. "How's your injury? Do you need to rest for a couple more days?"

Wang Gang said nonchalantly, "The injury has almost healed and won't affect my work."

Yao Guofa nodded, then gestured for Wang Gang to sit down.

"Try to take it easy, just think of it as bad luck," Yao Guofa said, pouring Wang Gang a glass of water.

Wang Gang raised an eyebrow, sensing the concern in Yao Guofa's tone.

"Senior brother, there's something I might need your help with."

"What is it?" Yao Guofa placed the cup in front of Wang Gang and said, "We are fellow disciples, I will definitely help if I can."

"I want a divorce, and I need a certificate from my employer."

"It's nothing, I'll take care of it for you in a bit," Yao Guofa said casually.

“There’s one more thing,” Wang Gang asked. “I heard on the radio that there’s a chef competition going on recently, and I’d like to participate.”

Yao Guofa was taken aback and said, "Why did you suddenly decide to participate in the competition?"

Wang Gang said, "I stayed at home for two days and figured some things out. I realized that I was too carefree before. I want to take advantage of my youth and work hard. As long as my career goes up, I won't have to worry about not finding a woman."

Yao Guofa didn't say anything upon hearing this, but simply took out a cigarette and lit it.

"There is indeed a culinary competition at the provincial level, but each city only has two slots, so the competition is fierce and it's not easy to get a spot," Yao Guofa said cautiously.
"Junior brother, why don't you hone your culinary skills for another two years and wait for the next opportunity!"

Wang Gang knew that Yao Guofa was not confident in his cooking skills and was somewhat reluctant to help.

Previously, Liu Hongchang's cooking skills were only average. He could get by in the cafeteria with his "braised pork intestines" dish, but it was not enough to participate in a cooking competition.

“Senior brother, I feel that my skills have improved a lot recently. You can test me if you don’t believe me,” Wang Gang said confidently.

"Huh!?" Yao Guofa was taken aback when he saw Wang Gang's expression.

Seeing that Yao Guofa still didn't quite believe it, Wang Gang said, "How about this, since it's still early and the cafeteria isn't busy yet, I'll make you two dishes to try."

Seeing Wang Gang's confidence, Yao Guofa hesitated.

"Alright! Don't say your senior didn't give you a chance." Yao Guofa finally decided to let Wang Gang give it a try.

The two were decisive and action-oriented, heading straight to the kitchen.

"Hongchang, what dish do you want to make?" Yao Guofa asked. "Still your specialty, braised pork intestines?"

Wang Gang looked at the dishes prepared by the canteen and said, "Braised pork intestines take too long, I'll make two quick dishes."

As they were talking, the other chefs in the kitchen gathered around. "Director Yao, what's wrong with Lao Liu?" Su Hou, another head chef in the back kitchen, came over and offered Yao Guofa a cigarette.

There are only three head chefs in the second canteen. Besides Liu Hongchang and Su Hou, there is also a semi-retired chef, Master Qin. Most of the others are sous chefs or apprentice chefs.

Su Hou's skills were similar to Liu Hongchang's, but Su Hou was better at business and knew how to flatter Yao Guofa.

"Liu Hongchang, make a couple of dishes for everyone to try." Yao Guofa naturally took the cigarette and said, "Find a culinary apprentice to help him with the ingredients."

Su Hou asked in surprise, "Has Liu Hongchang developed any new dishes?"

Yao Guofa shook his head, not mentioning that Wang Gang was going to participate in the cooking competition.

Seeing that Yao Guofa didn't want to talk about it, Su Hou wisely didn't press him and sent a trainee chef named "Liu Zi" to help Liu Hongchang.

Liu Zi was originally Liu Hongchang's apprentice, and they were usually very close.

"Master, what dishes do you want to make? I'll help you," Liu Zi volunteered.

"I'm going to make Kung Pao Chicken and Stir-fried Shredded Potatoes with Vinegar. Go and prepare the ingredients." Wang Gang grabbed a handful of peanuts and smelled them.

"Ah! You made such a simple dish?" Liu Zi asked, slightly surprised.

Wang Gang smiled and said, "Stop talking nonsense and go quickly."

The kitchen staff were quite puzzled when they heard that Wang Gang was only going to make the most ordinary dishes.

Wang Gang wanted to cook a couple of impressive dishes to impress the kitchen staff, but unfortunately, the seasonings that the second canteen usually kept on hand were too ordinary. Even a skilled cook can't cook without ingredients!

Unlike others, Yao Guofa knew that the more ordinary the dish, the more it tested the chef's skills, so he was not disappointed.

Wang Gang asked Liu Zi to wash and peel the potatoes, and then he personally cut the potato shreds.

"Chef Liu's potato shreds are so thin!" Chef Qin, being an experienced chef, immediately noticed the problem.

Su Hou picked up two potato shreds and found that the potato shreds Wang Gang cut were only slightly thicker than a hair, and each one was the same thickness.

Such knife skills are something that even the chefs at the No. 2 canteen, let alone the chefs at the state-run restaurants in the city, might not be able to achieve.

Yao Guofa carefully selected ten potato shreds, arranged them neatly, and found that they were all the same thickness, each one large enough to pass through a thick needle used for sewing quilts.

"When did you develop such excellent swordsmanship, junior brother?"

Yao Guofa is now even more excited.

Wang Gang worked quickly and finished cooking the two dishes in just a few minutes. The aroma of the Kung Pao Chicken filled the kitchen when it came out of the pot, making everyone look forward to it.

"I've made Kung Pao Chicken hundreds of times, but how come Chef Liu's version is so delicious?"

"The Kung Pao sauce that Chef Liu makes seems a little different." Chef Qin twitched his nose and smiled, "This must be Chef Liu's secret recipe!"

Yao Guofa laughed and said, "Stop talking, let's all try the dishes together."

Su Hou had already brought a pair of chopsticks and respectfully handed them to Yao Guofa.

Yao Guofa didn't eat the Kung Pao Chicken with fragrant rice porridge; instead, he picked up another plate of stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar.

As soon as Yao Guofa took a bite of shredded potato, his eyes widened in shock as he looked at Wang Gang!

When the kitchen staff saw Yao Guofa's expression, they couldn't contain themselves any longer and all picked up their chopsticks to try the dishes.

After everyone had tasted Wang Gang's dishes, they all looked at him with a strange expression.

"too delicious."

"I've never had such delicious Kung Pao Chicken and Stir-fried Shredded Potatoes with Vinegar in my entire life!"

"Why are the shredded potatoes so crispy?" (End of Chapter)